State higher education officials presented doom-and-gloom budget scenarios Tuesday to a state Senate committee showing what could happen when the federal stimulus money runs dry next summer.

One such possibility included the closure of eight of the state’s 14 public universities as a means to reduce state funding of college costs by 30 percent, or about $300 million.

That scenario would involve shuttering Nicholls State University, McNeese State University, Southern University at New Orleans, LSU at Alexandria, LSU at Shreveport, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Grambling State University and Northwestern State University.http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/93595549.html

ULM closing might actually help the Sun Belt as they would fall back to 9 football members (counting South Alabama) and 10 for all sports (counting UALR).

Nicholls, McNeese, and Northwestern State closing might cause the Southland to quit sponsoring football or even disband. Three members (UTSA, Texas State, and Lamar) have not been shy about moving to FBS, and the three Louisiana schools all play FCS football as well. This would probably be the likely "Southland" football league:

As far as all-sports members go, Oral Roberts (Summit), UALR (Sun Belt), and UTPA (Great West) would have to be first on the list due to their core status. I could see Houston Baptist (Great West) getting an invitation to get back to ten members.

My Sun Belt insider says its more talk than real, just like when they mere gonna merge 3/4 SWAC schools a couple of years ago. He said that the D-I schools even FCS should be okay. He's not sure about NAIA LSU-Shreveport and LSU-Alexandria

Denver will be unable to comply with Sun Belt membership standards passed in 2008 and will be out of the conference by 2013 (unless if the Sun Belt chooses not to enforce them). New Orleans was also facing this same deadline.

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